Chapter 1
by JerPandaBear
Summary: A story of adventure, love, salt, friendship, more salt, tons of salt, ALL THE SALT, and family.


Chapter 1: The Preparation

In 1269 the Kingdom of Malutia was wrought upon by a disaster that not even the greatest of Oracles was able to predict. A rip in space to the Tlas realm opened releasing all manner of beasts and nightmare. A once prosperous country was brought to its knees, the towns overrun by great reptilian monstrosities, castles and fortresses torn asunder by great woolen beasts and flying demons, tribes and villages set aflame by great ancient dragons. Humanity seemed lost, the population plummeted and there seemed to be no hope left. In this time of despair a miracle beset upon the races of Earth. The aura which leaked from the portal seemed to imbue individuals with magical abilities, strengthening the magic of mages, transforming animals of the land. There were many affected by this phenomenon, and those who acquired power used it to fight back against the evils which had become a scourge of their land. Within months Tiberius Nordham had conglomerated a mass of unique individuals and fought back against those who had invaded the human realm. Reclaiming the Kingdom of Malutia, Tiberius instituted the Empire, a new government which would rule over the inhabitants which remained alive. A peace came to the land, for a time. As the Empire grew it became more corrupted, those with powers began to abuse them while those without lived in poverty and fear. And anyone who would not conform to the Empire was stuck down with impunity. However new portals began to open, and while the Empire sought to monopolize the relics, treasures and powers within, the sodden few which opposed the Empire ventured into these rips in space to gain enough power to fight back. Many accepted the new reality but there was one who saw to rid the land of the disparity, to give a home to the broken and scorned, by using the trophies gained from the various dimensions. A wanderer from the Badlands, a man who formed his own tribe on the edge of the Empire.

This is the story of the tribe led by the one known as "The Mammoth".

A story of adventure, love, salt, friendship, more salt, tons of salt, ALL THE SALT, and family.

As Woolsy walked through the tent flaps the familiar scent of salted pork filled his nostrils. The three figures by the fire looked up to their leader with a solemn look in their eyes. This was not time for celebration, for the recent losses had been severe. The shame had consumed the tribe in recent months and it was weighing over their heads. But still Brad stood tall, walking around the fire to his mammoth hide rug, a symbol of his strength. As he sat down he looked at the three tribesmen once more. On his left was a small man with an electrifying gaze. The blue eyes belonged to Ged of the Storm, known as Storm to the tribe, master of the arcane arts. Despite his seemingly fragile physique his mastery of magic had allowed the tribe to protect themselves from the onslaught of the beasts. As his eyes met with Ged he felt the usual tingle down his spine, a usual occurrence yet unsettling nonetheless. Letting his vision gaze to the right he locked eyes with another of his tribesmen, a large burly fellow with arms as thick as the trees from the forest which he was born. These features were a usual phenomenon for those born to the Bear clan, a tribe of barbarians who sent their young to live with bears when they had reached manhood. Woolsy had encountered this odd fellow while on a hunting party for the Silver Bear, and while he had lost many men in this fight by defeating the bear he had gained a powerful ally in the barbarian. As he was a man of little words the barbarian had been dubbed the nickname Silver, for the bear he had accompanied in his trial. In the beginning he was an outcast within the tribe but he had slowly risen the ranks, soon becoming one of the leaders within the tribes hierarchy. With a nod Woolsy acknowledged Silver, getting the usual grunt as a reply. He turned his head, facing forward at the last person in the tent. The only one clad in armor, with a giant silver hammer at her side was Lady Jennifer. She had come across Woolsy early on in his travels, and had been the only person in the Badlands to ever survive a duel with the legendary "Mammoth". While Woolsy insists it was a tie, Jen had barely held onto her life, only her valiance in battle had saved her from a seemingly inevitable death as Woolsy asked her to join him in her travels. When he had first established his tribe the first seat on the council went to Jen, while Silver and Storm had earned their seats as the months past.

"You know why I have called this meeting" Woolsy solemnly muttered "We have had many losses in the past week. While our tribe continues to grow we are still unable to deal with some of the legions of the Empire."

Jen interjected "While I get your frustration Bra—"

"Don't you dare use my name, you understand the power of names and the consequences if my true name is revealed" Woolsy bellowed almost rising from his seat before calmly exhaling and returning to his original position. "I apologize, these times have made me a bit uneasy."

The expression on Jen's face didn't falter, her stalwart nature was a reason she had been able to put up with her leaders temper when others could not. "I understand 'Woolsy', but it is your failures which have put us in this position. While you are our chief your temper has cost us many of our victories, your rage cost us the battle against the Knights of the Chalice Domes. It was your rashness which led to the recent plague from the Courtyard, infecting many of our best with the Crimson Curse. And you were unwise to accept the call to the War of the Worlds by the Different tribe."

Ged chimed in begrudgingly "And you had a 4th falling out with that dice game. We all know the Random Gods hate you, remember that time you played weird card games with that shaman?"

Woolsy's eyes flared up only to dim as he had realized his failings, his resolve returned to him and he as he gave his command, "I understand my faults but this is not a time to point blame." He stood up and retrieved his spear from behind him, a long dark shaft with a tip of pure ivory, the tusk of a mammoth. "I'll leave you three to decide our next move. Consult with the rest of the tribe. Gain a consensus on our next move but only ask the more important tribesmen, those who have contributed to our cause. I'm off on a raid, by the time I return I expect results" Before anyone could utter a word he rose and strode out of the tent.

"Ugh he always does this." Storm exclaimed "Why do we follow him again? Why give our support to him?"

Jen shot Storm a glance before calmly explaining "He took all of us in, gave us a home when we had none. While he may not be the best leader he is probably the strongest in the land. I believe he will create the world which we need, one which doesn't involve the corruption of the Empire." She rose and dusted off her armor before picking up her hammer "I'll go ask the women, Storm you go and rally the men, Silver I understand you have a certain infatuation… or bond I think would be a more suitable term, with one of the children. It's time to figure out our next move."

Jen waited for a nod from the two before following in the steps of her leader.

"I guess we have to do what she says." Storm sighed. He dusted off his robe, stood up and with a sigh trudged out of the tent. With a slight grunt Silver stood up, leaving the tent empty. Or so it seemed.

From the shadows a figure emerged, seeming to appear from the darkness which covered the edges of the tent. The figure approached the seat of Woolsy, feeling its warmth before pointing his hand towards the fire. The flames began to sway in its direction before it was absorbed in its entirety, enveloping the tent in darkness.

Jen surveyed the village, a scattering of tents and campfires surrounded by a thick forest. She faintly saw the outline of her leader along with two other figures before they disappeared into the thicket. With a slight salute she turned around and headed towards the healers tent. The village was vibrant, children running betwixt tents, women chopping wood, men tending to the horses. She smiled at the scene, despite their recent downfalls the tribe had kept its sunny disposition. While admiring the scene before her she bumped into someone in her path. Wood hit the grass below with a dull thump as Jen staggered backwards.

"I'm so sorry" a voice cried out as Jen regained her composure. As she looked up she saw one of the newest members of the tribe, a merchant by the name of Carbin. "Please don't hurt me…" He wailed, all the while his terrified eyes on her hammer.

"Don't worry about it."

"Oh god, I wasn't watching where I was going. I didnt mean to bump into such a pretty… I mean such a strong… I mean… I'm sorry, I'm not really good at this."

"Good at what?" Jen questioned as she returned to her feet.

"Oh uhhh…. Never mind" He quickly muttered as he picked up the fallen logs and scampered off. Jen spotted a slight red tint on his face, yet she just shrugged it off as confusion. She continued on her way as planned, making sure to watch her path more carefully this time.

"Good morning." said a slender ginger man with a fedora as he walked by Jen.

"Morning Pop."

Storm trudged along, muttering to himself before spotting a familiar face. He strode up to a man in similar robes to his and addressed him with impunity "And what do we have here?" The man looked up from the sack he was holding in his hands. As his eyes met Storm's he quickly stowed away the bag within his garments. Storm asked again, "What are you up to Nathaniel? More of your odd little alchemy?"

Nate looked at the floor saying, "It's just a few rocks. Nothing of real importance to a man like you."

"And what kind of rocks are they, if I may ask?"

"The crystal kind."

"What kind of crystals?" Storm inquired.

"The happy kind? I guess?"

"You best be keeping them to yourself, remember what happened last time you were, quote unquote 'Slinging rocks' to other tribes members"

"Uh… sure."

"Oh yes before I forget you need to cast your vote for the next expedition."

"Well shit… Can you get back to me I haven't really thought it through yet. Plus I usually give it to Jen"

Pop walked by greeting the two "Good morning." before disappearing.

The two looked at Pop walk away before Storm continued "Well hop to it man, we've only got one more day before the third day comes to a close"

"Cool."

"Yeah. Cool."

"Ummm…. are you gonna go?"

"Yeah."

"…Do I have to make a threat for you to leave?"

"No you fool, what kind of threats would you make? Have you ever even made a threat?" Storm exasperated, giving Nathaniel one more look before turning around and trudging back on his way.

Silver moved with great haste to the training grounds. He knew all the young ones would be there at this time, including Bjorn. Bjorn was a sweet boy who had run from his homeland, a country to the West of the Badlands. While many of the tribe had never heard Silver speak he had many conversations with Bjorn, regaling him with tales of his time with the bears. He had an affection for Bjorn which many of the tribesmen often thought was odd. As he came up onto the training grounds, a scattering of archery targets, practice dummies and sparring pits, he spotted his young Dutch friend. Bjorn, or "the Baby" as he was aptly known, was sparring with another of the tribes upcoming youth, Stein. He watched as they circled each other waiting for the other to make a move. Suddenly Bjorn leapt forward swinging his wooden sword at his opponents shoulder before getting parried and riposted, falling flat on his backside. Silver rushed forward to help him up but Stein had already offered a hand to the young boy.

"Nice try but next time don't step forward before you strike, it gives away your attack." Stein said with a cute smile. "Sorry I hit you so hard, maybe I'll give you one of my cookies as an apology" Bjorn gave a slight chuckle and the look of pain on his face was replaced by a smile.

"Yeah, well I'll get you next time, I was just playing around with you." Bjorn said jokingly. As he took Stein's hand and was pulled up off the floor he spotted Silver looking worried next to the pit. A wide grin emerged on his face as he ran up to Silver and jumped into Silver's arms, giving him a hug.

Jen walked into the healers tent, expecting rows of sick and wounded only to be surprised. Not only had the beds been vacated of the sick there was only the tribe's healer sitting at her work mat. While no one knew her true name, as was with many of the tribe members as many had come for the sanctuary the tribe provided with no questions asked, the tribe had come accustomed to calling her Bubbles. Her bubbly attitude was quite appreciated by the ill and sick, however she was prone to making the occasional lewd comment. (The occasional… The many many many lewd comments. Like a lot. The tribe think Bubbles needs to get laid, way too pent up. Anyway back to the story)

Jen walked up behind the healer, before asking "What happened to all the patients? Do not tell me they died, I don't want to bury another one of my children."

Bubbles turned around wildly, surprised by the sudden visitor, with a knife brandished and at the ready. Seeing Jen's face she laughed and put down the knife. "Sorry I got caught up in my notes. I wasn't expecting anyone back in the tent so soon. What can I do you for milady?"

"As I've said before there's no need for the formality, you can just call me Jen. And I asked what happened to all the patients? Don't tell me you found a cure for the Crimson Curse?"

With a wry smile and a glint in her eye Bubbles said "Indeed I have, as it turns out the sodium chloride levels in the patients were incredible high. Possibly a result of being injected by a certain toxin by the giant mosquitoes we faced last week. Now all I had to do was find an herb which would calm the toxin's potency and at the same time allow their bodies to expel the sodium chloride from the patients systems. So I…"

"You lost me at 'sodium chloride'… I just trust that you figured it out. After finding you almost starved out in the wilds I never thought you would be the one to save us time after time." Jen said reminiscently

"Don't worry about it, I'm just glad we don't starve together and stay alive. Oh that reminds me, the cook wants to see you." Bubbles replied

"Why? Well put that off for now, I actually came to get your vote."

"Oh is it that time again? Wait but Ged usually gets my vote when it's bedt… Nevermind, anyway I guess I have to go for the obvious, we have to…"

Woolsy broke through the tree line into the grassy plains, the sounds of his steps nonexistent, honed after years of battle. Keeping his body close to the ground he sped across the plains, hidden by the tall grass. He glided between the blades of grass as he approached the caravan ahead. Knights with golden helmets and plate armor surrounded the caravan itself, while the tapestry on the side prominently displayed the insignia of the Chalice Dome company. His momentum slowed as he got closer to the caravan, coming to a stop fifteen feet away from the back most troop. He let out a bird whistle and two arrows came whizzing out from the tree line hitting the horse and rider of the caravan itself. Before they could draw their swords a black and white bear appeared out of the grass tearing asunder the throat of one of the guards. As the guards turned to the bear Woolsy dashed forth, stabbing two of the unsuspecting victims through chinks in their armor, piercing their hearts, in rapid succession. As the blood painted the floor the remaining guard dropped his sword, fear consuming his face, unseen through the bright crimson blood of his allies. The bear suddenly shrunk, transforming into an averaged sized boy with jet black hair. He turned and smiled before saying "Asuh dude."

"Please don't hurt me. I didn't do anything, I have a family please spare me."

Continuing to smile the boy looked up to Woolsy, "I guess put your weapon down?"

Woolsy scoffed "Sure, I guess we could let him go."

Without any hesitation the guard began to run. Woolsy let out another whistle and from the tree line came a ranger, tattoos covering his right arm, a cowl covering his head. "Asuh dude?" the man asked as he approached Woolsy.

Woolsy ordered "Snipe him down, no plebs, no witnesses."

The ranger knocked an arrow and without aiming fired a shot in the guards direction. The arrow whizzed through the air and went clean through the guards helmet, killing him on the spot. Woolsy looked towards the body as it fell, muttering under his breath "Lata bitch."

He turned towards the boy, "Jer… did you really have to just steal my kill phrase? Come up with your own one."

Jer looked at the ranger and just retorted "Well if you didn't just hide and shoot people from afar Alec you'd be able to say it to your enemies face. Plus all I do is hit the guys over and over, what do you want me to say? Bam bam bam?"

Woolsy yelled "Enough you two! Stop bickering and check the cargo, these Cupheaded bastards are a pain in my ass. I'm going to show them they can't fuck with the tribe."

As he entered the tent Storm saw all the scrolls littered across the floors. The endless stacks of books, tomes, ink and quills created a corridor of which to follow, a labyrinth of knowledge and history. He ducked and weaved throughout the pages, careful not to disturb any of the towers of parchment as many had been known to topple unto careless visitors he bade his way to the center. Emerging from the hallways to a small sanctuary, a circle of space which harbored a lone person, Storm coughed slightly making his presence known. The man in the center of the sanctuary looked up, he had a weird contraption on his face seemingly made of bronze with two ovals of glass over the man's eyes, only to return to his books. Storm sighed, he thought to himself that this was a waste of his time for the person that read books was known for being secluded, while he participated in the voting process and many of the tribe's activities he spent most of his time reading and writing something called 'poetry' on his scrolls. He looked around trying to spot the individual he was really trying to visit.

"He's behind me."

Startled Storm looked at the person that read books, questioning "Come again?"

"Just come out, he came for you, stop hiding behind me so he can go already. He's interrupting my book on the killers of this century which have been known to have particular patterns." The person remarked before reaching behind his back and grabbing a small animal by the scruff of his neck. The animal, once in sight seen to be a monkey, curled his tail around the person's arm avoiding eye contact with Storm.

Storm once again cleared his throat, asking "What are you doing Sheriff? I told you that I promised to no longer try to dissect you."

The monkey looked up, responding to his name. His tail stayed curled onto the persons arm, as if anchoring himself, before exclaiming "What do you need Ged? I'm busy documenting the trials of this past week. There have been many moments which need to be captured, clipped, recorded in ink so that those who where unable to witness it can know of our deeds."

"I need your votes, both of you. With the third day upon us we require a new challenge. We need to grow."

"Yes, yes. Understood. We have already decided, if you were wanton to reading you would have seen the scroll out front with our decision. Its on the third pillar of tomes to your right from the entrance. Now I bid thee farewell as we requires silence." Sheriff said mockingly before scampering up the persons arm and out of sight of Storm.

With the cargo in hand Woolsy and his men hurried back to the village. They made with haste until Woolsy put up his hand, for he heard a faint sound, a lullaby of sorts. Jer and Alec stopped short, Alec drawing his bow and Jer's skin slowly turning to fur. Before they had time to be fully prepared a shadow darted across the ground, streaking around the three until a figure erupted from the shadow, putting its hands on the back's of Jer's and Alec's necks. "You lose." said a soft voice.

"Dammit Ash thats cheating." Jer said as he slumped his shoulders.

"Suh dude." Alec said reluctantly.

"Lalalala, hahahaha, you guys lose again. I told you guys to git gud or you'd just always lose. What would happen if I wasn't your friend" Ashlei said with a grin. The two turned around to greet Ashlei, the assassin of the tribe. With the ability to change her face, command the flame and use the shadows to move quickly throughout the lands she was one of the more valuable infiltration assets of the tribe.

Woolsy spoke up, "Did you find him?"

"No. The spies from the empire have seemingly blended in with the tribe. They fit in with the rest and I haven't been able to catch them. With that said, I do have a name for you."

"Tell me."

"Their two code names according to some of the documents I've gathered is Woozlet and Mammut. They are both lurking undercover and no one but the most high ranking officers knows their true identity. We must be careful." Ash reported.

"Good job. Report back to me if you find anything else out."

"Understood." Ash remarked, before turning to Jer. "We still on for tonight?"

Jer's face went red as Alec and Woolsy turned face him, surprise in their eyes. "Umm, yeah. Just let us get this back to the village and then I'll find you."

"You'll find me? Good luck, more like I'll find you." Ash said jokingly. "See you back there." And with a wink she disappeared back into the shadow, streaking in the direction of the village.

Woolsy asked "Excuse me Jer? This whole trip you were talking about 'girl problems' and now you have a date tonight?"

Jer just lowered his head shamefully and said "Can we just get back already?"

Aladdin was shook. Thats all. She played gucci music and was shook… That's it… You want more? Like I did with everyone else? But like… thats all bruh, shook and music. The fuck am I supposed to do with that? Fine. Geez. You can have a paragraph too.

As Ash reformed outside of the village she stopped for a moment. Taking out a small pane of polished silver she checked whether she had removed her mask. To her dismay the face of the duchess still remained. With a sigh she initiated the removal, a quick yet incredibly painful feat. Putting her hand to her face she recited the ancient words in her mind, focusing on her true self. Raging fire, ice cold and a prickling electric buzz all flooded her mind and body for what seemed like forever. She looked once more into the silver, a smile emerging as she had returned to normal. She knew that the process was getting more painful each time, yet she had sworn to do her duty and she wasn't planning on forgoing that promise because of some measly pain. Confident that she was back to her normal self she gallivanted back into the village. As she crossed the threshold she heard a familiar voice, singing out.

"…a drop of golden salt. Mi, someone who's always shook. Fa, a long long way to shoot. So, a hobby for the weak. La, lalalalalaeyyyyyy. Ti, a drink best paired with salt. And that brings us back to fuck me up fam." A young blonde maiden sitting outside her tent sang while stroking a ruby colored hound. Ash walked up to her with a smile.

"Lovely as usual Aladdin." Ash said cheerfully.

Aladdin looked up at the sudden voice, and exclaimed with excitement "ASH YOU'RE BACK!" Before jumping up and giving her a giant hug. "You were gone for a while, I was so shook. I though that you might had gotten lost on the way back." The hound, no longer startled trudged over to Ash and licked her hand.

As Ash looked down she saw once again the beautiful beast. As unique as any holy relic, and possibly one of the last of its kind, the beast was more than your average hound. It had the look of a full grown dire wolf, with a mane of pure ruby. It's teeth were as sharp as diamonds and it's eyes seemed inlaid with sapphires of the deepest blue. The beast looked up to meet Ash's gaze and as it opened it's mouth it began to speak. "Welcome back ashen one. I am glad to see your return."

"And you as well Crystal. I see you have been keeping Aladdin company, I rest well at night knowing you are there to keep her safe."

"But of course. She is mine and I am hers, we are intertwined by the fates and we shall live and die as one." Crystal said with certainty before giving Ash one last lick and returning to her spot.

Aladdin looked up at Ash and said excitedly "Ash, the vote is going on today, we should go find Jen and tell her our choice. Cmon, I'll fill you in on the way."

Silver and Bjorn walked hand in hand across the training field over to a small tent near the sparring dummies. As they opened up the flaps they saw the two trainers of the tribe, sitting across from one another playing a game of chess with ivory pieces.

Singing underneath his breath while deep in thought was a young tanned man who stopped his singing to cry out, "Check! Your move Riku.", as he moved his queen into position.

Riku looked at his opponent for a second, taking a bite out of a small pastry with a cream which seemed to be whipped on top of it. He swallowed his food and then gave a wide grin, "Too bad Kil, not today." The look on Kil's face dropped as he saw Riku's move before the piece was even moved.

"…oh shi…" He began to say before looking up and seeing the duo which just sauntered in. "..iiiiizzzzz? Um hi, I didn't see you guys there."

Silver stared at the two for a bit before Bjorn exclaimed "Teachers, we have to go do the vote today. Also I thought you said you guys where coming up with new practice methods?"

"Ehehehe, yeah we thought we would think better over a game of chess." Kil explained.

Riku spoke up as he lifted his pastry, "And on a full stomach too."

"Oh, alright then. Well we have to give Silver our votes. Me and Stein already did it."

Kil looked around and asked "Now that you mention it where is our cute little cookie?"

Bjorn replied, "He went back to the healers tent, Silver kinda knocked him down when he ran up to give me a hug. Anyway I'll leave you to it, I heard my mom is coming back today and I need to clean up our tent." And without another word he turned around and ran off.

As Bjorn left the tent Pop popped his fedora clad head into the tent greeting the three "Good morning." before quickly popping out again.

Silver stood in the entranceway looking at the trainers, not the slightest startled by Pops intrusion. As he looked at Kil he fondly remembered finding him while trudging through The Forest, the home of cannibals and thieves alike. Originally he had believe that Kil was a threat but was soon convinced otherwise. While he doesn't remember the cause, he oddly remembered being kited through The Forest while being sung an ancient tune. Looking over to Riku he saw again the slaughtered corpses of the lizards which both Riku and Brad were standing over as he had been late following the two through the portal of the Knights. Still looming over the other two Silver mumbled, "Votes."

Storm walked up to the disheveled tent, made of debris and cloth fragments. Smoke trailed out of the top, a sign that the witch was home. Opening the flaps, hidden by leaves and moss, he stepped inside. Potions and baubles sat upon on racks and small tables, a variety of small animal corpses hung from strings and a abnormally large fire lit up the room. Despite its size the fire seemed to be contained within some field, not radiating heat or burning the objects around it. Storm scanned the room but there was no one in sight. As if on cue a voice rang out, "Coming back so soon?" Storm swiveled around and scanned the area but still saw nothing.

"Just come out already, I tire of your antics quickly. Do you really need me to use magic to find you again?" Storm exasperated.

"Oh poppy cock, you're no fun. At least Nate uses his magic immediately." the voice said from all angles before finally conglomerating into a single entity, coming from a woman appearing by the fire. Unlike the common misconception of witches by the powerless, the woman standing before him seemed like an average lady of the court. She gave Storm a mocking frown before smiling and asking "So what do you need from the fabulous Lady of the Rags?"

"…I'm not calling you that Miss Rags. And you should know why I came."

She snickered "Possibly but what if I don't? Enlighten me oh wise one."

"God are all Mercy mains like this?"

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing just breaking the 4th wall cause the writer is too lazy to figure out a way to incorporate that info."

"Oh."

Storm resumed, "We need your vote."

"No."

"Good no… Wait did you say no? Why not?" Storm questioned.

"Well since Bra… Woolsy destroyed my ancestral home by lighting the Beargur on fire last week I don't necessarily feel like helping."

Storm stood there with his mouth slightly ajar before returning to his normal stature. "Oh… umm… Okay? I shall take my leave." he said awkwrdly before slowly stepping out of the tent.

As Woolsy, Alec and Jer broke through the thicket into the clearing of the tribe a horn sounded and the tribe seemed to gather near the edge of the village. As they approached two of the villagers separated from the crowd, Captain Sam of the 7th Legion and Soap of the Mud (don't ask, we don't know why he's called that either). Both had lived with Woolsy in his youth all three of them masters of their focuses in combat and were some of the most skilled warriors of the Badlands. They had each gone on their own path to sharpen their skills before the two had found Woolsy on their travels and joining the tribe.

Captain Sam stood tall, clad in leather and glistening green scales. On his back was his signature weapon, the broadsword, crafted from Arkanian steel. Renown in the Empire for his expeditions in the Ark, a land on par in danger to the Badlands, where large reptilian creatures roamed. He had left the Empire when he had learned of the corruption and sought out Woolsy to join the tribes ranks.

Sam had a smirk on his face as he saw Jer, asking "You get any of that good good from the caravan?" Giving him a wink.

Soap elbowed Sam before whispering, "Hey, not in front of the kids." He walked forward and took Woolsy's forearm into his hand, pulling him in and giving him a hug, Woolsy returning the gesture. "Welcome back Woolsy."

Soap stood taller than the rest, even larger than Woolsy himself. He was the epitome of the Badlands barbarian, a large structure and scruffy beard with more muscles in his body than there were stars in the sky. Hanging from his side was a battle axe larger than a fully grown dire wolf, aptly named "Smote", for that is what it did best.

Woolsy looked at his blood brother, explaining "The raid went well, it was quick and decisive. The caravan had the gold and supplies as the intel suggested. We should be good for awhile, if not we can go hunting." He looked around for awhile before resuming, "Have the council members gotten the votes yet?"

Soap responded "I think they are finishing their rounds. Jen told us that the council should be ready to meet by the sunset."

"Good. It'll be right on schedule." He muttered before going to the rest of the villagers, a smile on his face as they all greeted him back.

Sam sauntered over to Jer whispering "So you got it?"

"Yeet boi, lets go get frazzled."

Alec spoke up, "Asuh Sam. And Jer, didn't you have something to do tonight?"

With a look of remembrance Jer was left speechless before slipping Sam that good ish and helping Alec get the supplies to it's destination, a single tear falling down his cheek.

Woolsy walked by a the stables, checking in on the beast. Nicknamed Belly by the children, the large frog seemed to be made of shadows except a large disc shaped sapphire which was situated in the middle of his body. As Woolsy looked in he spotted the small frog which had appeared the fortnight beforehand. He gave the two a nod before venturing off to his tent.

Alec waited by the cargo, impatiently waiting for Jer to finish his business with the Kreeper. He couldn't make out the words from where he stood, eventually giving up on trying. Not the biggest fan of the master of the portals he didn't much mind being apart from the conversation. Kreeper was an inhabitant of the Gungeon, a separate dimension where weapons and ammunition were humanoid and brave warriors fought them with advanced weapons of their own. While the weapons themselves disintegrated if they were removed from their dimension Kreeper was able to venture over to dimension of men, and his ability to create portals to different dimensions soon became a necessity in the tribe. Oddly enough some of the tribesmen call him MC Pussy Slayer, for reasons unknown.

Suddenly Jer shouted out "DDDDOOOOOOOORRRRR" startling Alec, causing him to fall backwards into one of the crates. Kreeper held his hands open and a dark rift began to form in space, and the Lady Morgwen walked through, her three headed guard dog Ares not far behind. Alec watched as Pops just popped in, tipped his fedora and walked out of sight.

Jer and Alec trudged the crates of food, alcohol and other supplies to the only wooden structure in the tribe, the bar. Walking in they saw the original tribe member, the strapping bartender Badimir. Once a lord of the lands he left his fame and fortune and set up a bar in the middle of the woods, for no other reason than to give room and board to travelers. When Woolsy had began to think of where to situate his tribe he had stumbled upon the oddly placed bar, and as he walked in Badimir offered his clearing for sanctuary and shelter. And so the village began to grow as the tribe became larger.

Sitting at the bar was the master trainer Finnegan, a teacher of both the fighting arts and intellectual queries. He taught the adolescents of the tribe an odd magic called mathematics. He had a multitude of children which were all endowed with the powers of the Zodiac signs, aptly named the Children of the Zodiarc.

Badimir and Finnegan turned to look at Jer and Alec as they came in, raising from their spots to help the two bring in the supplies. By the time they had finished the sun had reached the horizon, Finn went back to his wife and kids, Alec returning to his own tent and Badimir closing up the bar. Jer stood in front of the bar for awhile, watching the sun retreat behind the mountains, as a wisp of smoke trailed up beside him. The smoke began swirling around itself before in it's place stood Ash.

"You didn't find me." she said solemly.

"I knew you'd come here, you always watch the sunset from here." Jer said before reaching for Ash's hand.

As Woolsy entered the tent he saw the members of the council had already gathered. Moving to his spot he motioned to the three, a questioning head tilt. The three took their turns, each reporting on the tribe's votes. In the end the challenge was chosen, the vote closed.

The council exited the tent, one by one and stood in a triangular formation with Jen at the head with Storm and Silver behind her on her left and right. Woolsy's hand moved the leather entrance flap out of his way as he strode out. The tribe was all there, waiting for the announcement. Lady Morgwen and Ares walked out from the crowd, both of them stopping at Woolsy's side.

"A decision has been reached. As you all know there is tidal surge of vermin ravaging villages and the Empire has decided to only protect the settlements and castles that power and magic users reside in. We will confront this Vermintide as a tribe, and will be rid of them within a quarter of the fortnight. Report to the council members, they will tell you your groups. Each group will venture to a specific town and remove the threat." The tribe gave a singular cheer before starting their preparations.

To be continued…


End file.
